Bumper for furniture or the like



May 14, 1963 H. E. BROOKS BUMPER FOR FURNITURE OR THE LIKE Filed March20, 1961 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. HAROLD E. BROOKS ATTORNEY 'iinite This invention relates tobumper means for furniture or the like. More particularly, the inventionrelates to a bumper means mountable on upholstered furniture or the likeand which includes a relatively soft portion engageable with a wall toprevent damage to the wall or the furniture by engagement of same. Stillmore particularly, the invention relates to the provisions of a bumpermember for furniture or the like which is constructed so that the bumperwill receive and grip the fabric of an upholstered piece of furniturewith a button portion projecting therefrom to prevent injury to thefurniture or to a wall When same are placed in engagement.

Various types of bumper means are known to the art. These are primarilydirected to bumpers for mounting on the wooden or leg portions of chairsor the like, normally in a permanent or semi-permanent manner. Theconstruction of the prior art bumpers makes them unsuitable for use onthe fabric portion of upholstered furniture and due to the manner ofmounting same which would cause injury to the furniture. Also, the priorart devices do not present a suitable wall engaging surface. Aparticular problem exists with divans or couches since this furniture isrelatively heavy and is often shoved rather abruptly against a wall andcan cause damage to the plaster, wall paper or the like as well as tothe furniture itself. In addition, the line of contact between wall andfurniture, divan, etc., is prone to become dirty. This causes anunsightly line on the wall when the furniture is moved.

In accordance with the present invention new bumper means are providedwhich overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a bumpermember which is particularly useful with upholstered furniture. Thebumper means of the invention includes pin means and a button meanstherewith, the pin means being insertable into the fabric portion offurniture and the button means therewith projecting therefrom andengageable with a wall or the like.

In preferred specific embodiments of the invention, the pin meansconsist of U-shaped pin members which are bent at the U-shaped endportion thereof and which have molded therearound button means. Thebutton means in one preferred embodiment is preferably generallycylindrically shaped in the base portion thereof and has a rounded orsemi-spherical end portion therewith engageable with the wall or thelike. In another preferred specific embodiment of the invention two suchU-shaped upholstery pin means are provided and mounted in spaced andgenerally parallel relation with the U-shaped end portions thereof bentand molded into an elongated, generally elliptical shape button meanswhich is rounded at the end opposite from the pin means and engageablein said last-named end portion with a wall or the like. In the preferredspecific embodiments of the invention, the pin means is formed withbends intermediate the ends thereof and the bends are located adjacentto an edge of the button means so that when the bumper is mounted on apiece of furniture part of the fabric thereof will be received betweenthe button means and the pin means to be gripped therebetween to preventmovement thereof. In the preferred specific embodiments, the buttonportion is preferably formed of a relatively smooth, resilient andnon-tacky plastic material which is smooth States Patent U inseamPatented May 14, 1963 enough to slide relative to a plaster wall, wallpaper or the like, and sufiiciently resilient to prevent damage thereto.The button portion is preferably non-tacky so that same will not mar thewall when placed in engagement therewith.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide new bumpermean-s.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new bumper particularlyconstructed and adapted for use with upholstered furniture or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide new bumper means which isrelatively easy to assemble, inexpensive, and utilizes common materialsin assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide new bumper means whereina single U-shaped upholstery pin is provided and has therewith a wallengaging button.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new bumper forfurniture or the like wherein a plurality of pin means are connected toa single wall engaging button portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide new bumper means forfurniture and the like wherein any possibility of the bumper memberrolling or turning within the furniture to cause damage thereto has beensubstantially eliminated.

Various other objects, advantages and features of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an application view showing a use of the bumper means of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section view showing the construction of apreferred specific embodiment of the bumper of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the bumper member shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of another preferred specific embodiment ofthe bumper of the invention.

The following is a discussion and description of preferred specificembodiments of the new bumper of the invention, such being made withreference to the drawings whereon the same reference numerals are usedto indicate the same or similar parts and/ or structure. It is to beunderstood that such discussion and description is not to unduly limitthe scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings and to FIGS. 2 and 3 in particular whereinone preferred specific embodiment of the bumper of the invention isshown at 8 and includes pin means of suitable construction as showngenerally at 10. The pin means 10 is preferably a U-shaped upholsterytype pin which is suitably constructed to be inserted into upholsteredfabric or the like. The pin means 10 includes an upper U-shaped endportion 12 and two extending legs 14- and 16 which are preferablypointed at the end as shown. The legs 14 and 16 have intermediateportions as shown at 17 and 18, respectively. The upper or U-shaped endportions 12 of pin means 10 is bent to form an angle with theintermediate portions 17 and 18 of legs 14 and 16. Preferably, the angleformed is an acute angle which approaches a right angle, such being bestshown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The intermediate portions 17 and 18 ofthe pin means 10 have bends 20 and 22, respectively, formed therein.

A wall engageable button portion 24 is provided and is connected to thepin means 10 in any suitable manner. Preferably, the button 24 is moldedabout the bent U- shaped end portion 12 of the pin means 10 and receivestherein substantially all of the bent portion of the pin. Button 24preferably has a cylinder base portion 26 having a flat end or back 28adjacent to and spaced from the intermediate portions 17 and 18 of thepin means 10. The.

opposite end portion of the button 24 can be rounded as shown at 30.Preferably, the rounded end 30 of the button 24 is generallysemi-spherical and forms the wall engaging portion of the bumper. Thecylindrical portion 26 and rounded portion 30 of button 24 arepreferably constructed so that they smoothly merge into each otherwithout the formation of sharp corners or the like.

The button 24 can be formed of a number of materials including plasticmaterials, rubber or rubber-like materials, etc. Preferably, the buttonis formed of a relatively soft material which will not damage or injurethe furniture with which it is used or a wall or the like. The buttonshould be firm enough so that the end portion 12 of pin means will notengage the wall to cause damage thereto. The button 24 should be formedof a non-tacky material so that the wall or the like will not be markedas the furniture and bumper are moved relative thereto. Preferably, suchmaterial should be nontacky so that the button will not tend to stick toand/ or mar the wall. A large number of materials can be used for thebumper 24-. For example, the materials sold under the followingtrademarks by the companies indicated can be used: Denflex 9220" by theDennis Chemical Company, St. Louis, Missouri; Hysol 3110 by the HysolChemical Compan, Olean, New York; TR-905 by Products Research Company,Los Angeles, California; and Pro-Seal 890 by the Coast Pro-Seal andManufacturing Company, Los Angeles, California. These are merelyillustrations of suitable materials and are not intended to limit theinvention to any particular type or materials.

Button 24 is preferably secured to pin means 10 by molding the buttononto the pin means. The button is desirably molded onto the pin means 10so that the intermediate portions 17 and 18 of the legs 14 and 16 areadjacent to and spaced from the back 28 of the button 24. The bends orindentations 20 and 22 of the intermediate portions 17 and 18 of legs 14and 16 are preferably located adjacent to the edge of the back 28 of thebutton 24, and the bent U-shaped end portion 12 of the pin means 10 ispreferably located adjacent to the diametrically opposite portion of theback 28 so that a relatively large amount of fabric can be positionedbetween the pin means 10 and the back 28. The U-shaped end portion 12 ofpin means 10 is preferably bent to form with the intermediate portion 17and 18 an acute angle which approaches a ninety degree angle. It hasbeen found that this construction prevents the formation of a fillet ofmaterial between the intermediate portions 17 and 18 of the pin meansand the button 24 during the molding operation. This is very desirablesince if a fillet of the material is located between the intermediateportions 17 and 18 of pin means 10 and button 24 then it issubstantially impossible to mount the bumper with enough fabric from thefurniture therebetween to grip same and maintain the bumper in position.The preferred bumper construction permits fabric 32 of a chair, couch,etc. to be located between and gripped by the pin means and the buttonas shown in FIG. 2.

The button of FIGS. 2 and 3 is shown in use in FIG. 1 of the drawing.Here the chair or couch 34 is positioned adjacent to a wall 36 and thepin means 10 of the bumper 8 is in position in the fabric of the couch.The button portion of the bumper projects from the couch and will engagethe wall 36 to prevent engagement of the furniture therewith and preventdamage to either the wall or the furniture.

Another preferred specific embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG.4 and is indicated generally by the numeral 40. In this embodiment thepin means 10 of a construction of the type previously described areprovided and are located in spaced, generally parallel relation asillustrated in FIG. 4. The button portion 42 of bumper 40 has a bodyportion 43 which is generally elliptical in shape and which has arelatively flat back portion 44 spaced from the intermediate portion ofthe pin means 10. The body portion 43 of the button 42 merges into arounded projecting portion 46 which is engageable with a wall or thelike to prevent damage thereto. The rounded end portion 46 is similar tothat shown at 30 in FIG. 2 and is elongated and rounded in the endportions thereof, preferably merging smoothly into the body portion 43.Here, as in the previously described embodiment, the pin means 10 arepreferably located relative to button 42 so that the bent portionsthereof are near the top edge of the button with the intermediateportions of the pins passing along the major portion of the back side 44of the button 42. Also, the bends in the intermediate portion of the pinmeans 19 are positioned adjacent to the lower edge of the body portion43 and back 44 so that fabric positioned therebetween will be tightlygripped by the pin means and the button in the manner shown in FIG. 2for bumper 8.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is particularly desirable for relativelylong pieces of furniture or where more surface contact area is desired.Also, the use of the two pin means 10 gives a substantially greatercontact area against the wall and with fabric between the button and thepin means which aids in maintaining the bumper on the furniture.Furthermore, the construction effectively prevents the possibility ofany roll or side movement of the pin means within the fabric which mighttend to damage same.

As will be seen from the foregoing description of the preferred specificembodiments of the invention, a relatively simple bumper member has beenprovided which can be constructed with a minimum of time and materials.Furthermore, a bumper has been provided which is a substantiallyintegral member and which will be extremely difficult to separate orremove one portion from another, thus preventing disassembly and loss ofa per tion of the pin means or bumper means. The bumper of the inventionis desirably used on the upholstered portion of furniture where priorart devices are not suitable and the bumper of the invention can be soused Without danger of damage to the furniture itself. The buttonportion of the bumpers, being formed of a soft, non-tacky and relativelysmooth material, will prevent damage to either the furniture or thewall, wall paper or the like.

Applicants structure is also relatively easy to assemble, requiring onlya simple molding step and bending step in order to construct the device.The particular angle desired for the upper portion of the U-shaped pinmember eliminates the formation of fillets between the button portionand the pin portion, thus eliminating the necessity of removing moldedmaterial therefrom prior to using same.

While the foregoing invention has been described in connection withpreferred specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that suchdescription is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the claims.

I claim:

1. A bumper for furniture and the like comprising, in combination, aU-shaped upholstery pin having the U-shaped end portion bent to formwith the intermediate portion thereof an acute angle approaching a rightangle and with said U-shaped end portion projecting outwardly from saidintermediate portion thereof, a wall engageable button molded aroundsaid bent U-shaped end portion of said pin and positioned in spacedrelation to said intermediate portion of said pin, said button having acylindrical base portion with a relatively fiat side at one end thereofin a plane generally parallel to said intermediate portion of said pin,said base portion merging into a semi-spherical end opposite from saidflat side, said button being formed of a smooth, resilient, non- .tackyplastic material, said intermediate portion of said pin being spacedfrom said cylindrical base portion of snsaa're said button and having abend in each side portion thereof positioned adjacent to the edge ofsaid cylindrical portion of said button, said bumper being constructedand adapted so that the other end portion of said pin can be insertedinto the back of a piece of furniture with the fabric thereof beingreceived between said button and said intermediate portion of said pinwith said button and said last-named bends in said pin gripping saidfabric therebetween and with said spherical end of said buttonengageable with a wall or the like to prevent damage thereto or to saidpiece of furniture.

2. A bumper for furniture and the like comprising, in combination,U-shaped pin means having the U-shaped end portion thereof bent to formwith the intermediate portion thereof an acute angle and with saidU-shaped end portion projecting outwardly from said intermediate portionof said pin means, a wall engageable resilient button molded around saidpin means and positioned in spaced relation to said intermediate portionthereof, said button having a relatively flat side in a plane generallyparallel to said intermediate portion of said pin means and a roundedend portion opposite from said flat side, said intermediate portion ofsaid pin means having a bend therein positioned adjacent to the edge ofsaid button, said bumper being constructed and adapted so that the otherend portion of said pin means can be inserted into the back of a pieceof furniture with the fabric thereof being received between said buttonand said intermediate portion of said pin means with said button andsaid last-named bend in said pin means gripping said fabrictherebetween, and with said rounded end of said button engageable with awall or the like to prevent damage thereto or to said piece offurniture.

3. A bumper for furniture and the like comprising, in combination, twoU-shaped upholstery pins, each of said pins having the U-shaped endportion thereof bent to form With the intermediate portion thereof anacute angle approaching a right angle and with each of said U-shaped endportions projecting outwardly from said intermediate portions thereof, awall engageable button molded around said bent U-shaped end portions ofeach of said pins to secure said pins therein in spaced and generallyparallel relation, said button having an elongated elliptical shapedbase portion merging into a rounded end portion opposite from said pins,said button being formed of a smooth resilient, non-tacky plasticmaterial, said intermediate portion of each of said pins being spacedfrom said base portion of said button and having a bend in the sidesthereof positioned adjacent to the edge of said base portion of saidbutton, said bumper being constructed and adapted so that the other endportion of said pins can be inserted into the back of a piece offurniture with a portion of the fabric thereof being received betweensaid button and said intermediate portion of said pins with said buttonand said last-named bends in said pin gripping said fabric therebetweenand with said rounded end of said button engageable with a wall or thelike to prevent damage thereto or to said piece of furniture.

4. Bumper means for furniture and the like comprising, in combination,U-shaped pin means having the U-shaped end portion thereof at an acuteangle to the intermediate portion thereof, a resilient button positionedaround said pin means and located in spaced relation to saidintermediate portion thereof, said button having a generally flat sidein a plane substantially parallel to said intermediate portion of saidpin means and a wall engageable end portion thereof opposite from saidflat side, a portion of said intermediate portion of said pin meansbeing positioned adjacent to said flat side of said button, said bumpermeans being constructed and adapted so that the other end portion ofsaid pin means is insertable into the fabric portion of a piece offurniture or the like with the fabric of said furniture being receivedbetween said button and said portion of said intermediate portion ofsaid pin means and with said button and said pin means gripping saidfabric therebetween, said wall engageable portion of said buttonpreventing contact between a wall or the like and said furniture.

5. Bumper means for furniture and the like comprising, in combination, aplurality of generally U-shaped pin means, each of said pin means havingthe U-shaped end portion thereof bent to form with the intermediateportion thereof an acute angle, a resilient wall engageable buttonconnected to said U-shaped end portion of each of said pin means, saidbutton having a base portion adjacent to and spaced from a portion ofsaid intermediate portion of each of said pin means and a rounded endportion opposite from said pin means, said bumper means beingconstructed and adapted so that the other end portions of said pin meansare insertable into the fabric of a piece of furniture or the like witha portion of the fabric being received between said button and saidintermediate portion of each of said pin means and gripped therebetweenwith said button being engageable with a wall or the like to preventcontact therebetween and between said furniture and the wall.

6. Bumper means for furniture and the like comprising, in combination,fastening means having a projecting end portion insertable into a fabricportion of furniture and the like, resilient button means connected toanother portion of said fastening means and projecting outwardlytherefrom, said another portion of said fastening means being inclinedat an angle relative to said projecting end portion thereof, a portionof said button means being positioned adjacent to a portion of saidfastening means and defining therewith a narrow space of size to receiveand hold a fabric portion of furniture and the like, said bumper meansbeing constructed and adapted for mounting on a piece of furniture orthe like with a portion of the fabric of the furniture or the like beingreceived and held in said space between said button means and saidfastening means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS491,325 Totman et a1 Feb. 7, 1893 1,787,253 King Dec. 30, 1930 1,843,703Boden Feb. 2, 1932 2,573,809 Reiter Nov. 6, 1951 2,673,600 Cramer a Mar.30, 19 54

1. A BUMPER FOR FURNITURE AND THE LIKE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AU-SHAPED UPHOLSTERY PIN HAVING THE U-SHAPED END PORTION BENT TO FORMWITH THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF AN ACUTE ANGLE APPROACHING A RIGHTANGLE AND WITH SAID U-SHAPED END PORTION PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM SAIDINTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF, A WALL ENGAGEABLE BUTTON MOLDED AROUNDSAID BENT U-SHAPED END PORTION OF SAID PIN AND POSITIONED IN SPACEDRELATION TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID PIN, SAID BUTTON HAVING ACYLINDRICAL BASE PORTION WITH A RELATIVELY FLAT SIDE AT ONE END THEREOFIN A PLANE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID PIN,SAID BASE PORTION MERGING INTO A SEMI-SPHERICAL END OPPOSITE FROM SAIDFLAT SIDE, SAID BUTTON BEING FORMED OF A SMOOTH, RESILIENT, NONTACKYPLASTIC MATERIAL, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID PIN BEING SPACEDFROM SAID CYLINDRICAL BASE PORTION OF SAID BUTTON AND HAVING A BEND INEACH SIDE PORTION THEREOF POSITIONED ADJACENT TO THE EDGE OF SAIDCYLINDRICAL PORTION OF SAID BUTTON, SAID BUMPER BEING CONSTRUCTED ANDADAPTED SO THAT THE OTHER END PORTION OF SAID PIN CAN BE INSERTED INTOTHE BACK OF A PIECE OF FURNITURE WITH THE FABRIC THEREOF BEING RECEIVEDBETWEEN SAID BUTTON AND SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID PIN WITH SAIDBUTTON AND SAID LAST-NAMED BENDS IN SAID PIN GRIPPING SAID FABRICTHEREBETWEEN AND WITH SAID SPHERICAL END OF SAID BUTTON ENGAGEABLE WITHA WALL OR THE LIKE TO PREVENT DAMAGE THERETO OR TO SAID PIECE OFFURNITURE.